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SPECIFICTION
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iotop

github.com

Free plan Linux
Visit github.com
Spec score 7.6 #15 of 26 in Process Monitoring Software

What it is

iotop is a free Linux program that identifies processes generating high input/output activity and lists them by I/O usage. The display can show accumulated I/O or bandwidth, with optional read, write, swap-in and I/O-percentage columns. Monitoring can target selected process IDs or users, or show processes and threads across the machine. Interactive and batch modes support iteration counts, configurable delays and timestamps in batch output. Command-line filters narrow processes by TID or command using a regular expression. Installation guidance covers Debian-derived distributions, Fedora, CentOS/RHEL, Void, Arch and Alpine Linux; source builds use make after development dependencies are installed. The project is GPL-2.0+ licensed, but installation and use require root access. Version 1.31 is listed as the latest release. Its tag has a verified committer signature, although the signing key has expired.

Spec sheet

Purpose
iotop identifies processes that use high amounts of input/output requests on a machine and lists them by I/O usage.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
License
The project says iotop is licensed GPL-2.0+.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Build
The project documents building from source with make after installing development dependencies.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Filtering
The command line supports filtering processes by TID and command using a regular expression.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
I/O display
The interface can show accumulated I/O or bandwidth and can hide or show columns such as read, write, swap-in, and I/O percentage.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Linux packages
The project lists packages or installation instructions for Debian-derived distributions, Fedora, CentOS/RHEL, Void, Arch, and Alpine Linux.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Maintainers
The project lists Tomas Matejicek and Boian Bonev as current maintainers.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Monitoring
Options let users monitor selected process IDs or users, or show processes and threads across the machine.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Output modes
The program supports interactive and batch modes, iteration counts, configurable delays, and timestamps in batch output.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Release
The releases page lists version 1.31 as the latest release.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Release signing
The release page says the version 1.31 tag has a verified committer signature and that the signing key has expired.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Runtime requirement
Installing and using the program requires root access.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com
Support and community
The project recommends filing pull requests on GitHub and says its community gathers in the #iotop channel on Libera.Chat.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Plans and prices

Free Free GPL-2.0+ licensed · requires root access Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Every iotop plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free GPL-2.0+ license
  • Shows process I/O and bandwidth
  • Interactive and batch output modes
  • Filters by TID or command
  • Packages listed for major Linux families

Limits

  • Requires root access
  • Linux only
  • No remote monitoring
  • No process alerting

Who it suits

Linux administrators and developers who need process-level I/O visibility. It suits users comfortable with root access and command-line monitoring.

Verdict

iotop provides focused local I/O monitoring with flexible display, filtering and batch options. It is free and broadly packaged for Linux, but requires root privileges and does not provide remote or alerting features.

Where Specifiction places it

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